Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, or Neon Genesis Evangelion. All rights to characters belong to the creator and publisher.
Author Note 1: This is my first attempt at a Naurto story so please give me lots of feedback so I improve.
Author note 2: I've decided to rewrite this entire story after discovering flow problems. Also after getting a number of emails about a passage I borrowed it became clear I needed to redo this story from the beginning to prove I am original. I hope fans of this story remain loyal as I am going to add more and make this story better then ever.
Author note 3: This is a story I have been thinking on for a while and the world may become very AU also I need suggestions on pairings if any.
Summery: Since he could recall, he had been able to control the ice and the water, he had been hated by everyone. When threatened he meets the demon within him and finds acceptance and powers never before known. Which will he choose to become that which they see him as or to become that which his father wanted him?
Now on with the Show
A Fox of Fire and Ice
Chapter One: Learning the truth
Arashi Kazama, Yondaime Hokage of the Hidden Village of the Leaf otherwise known as Konoha sighed as he looked down at the bundle resting in his arms. A blonde tuft of hair topped the head of the small baby and wide bright blue eyes stared up at him in innocence. Tears leaked from his own eyes as he realized how much the child resembled him, while bearing the soft eyes of his mother. Those eyes that he had watched dim as the last of her life flowed away.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto, for the burden I will be placing on you. I hope this village that she and I love so much will see you as the hero you truly are. Please forgive us, Naruto, for leaving you all alone in this world," he spoke, hoping in some small way that the child could remember those final words despite his age. Naruto stared at him for another minute before slowly closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
"I hope you too can forgive me as well, Kanna-chan. It seems the same fate my father passed to me, I must pass to our son," he spoke, sparing one final moment to the body of his deceased love and then turned walking away towards the sound of dying shinobi and battle.
Arashi never noticed the puddle of water that had formed where he had once been standing. The water seemingly had come from nowhere, yet it was there glimmering in the faint light, pure and clean.
Forest
Screams broke the peaceful night air as more and more ninja fell before their monstrous enemy. Nine tails swooped around wildly, ripping deep gashes in the land and flowing through trees with ease. The beast was massive yet built lean towering above the forest its size seemingly able to rival a small mountain. Crimson eyes like blood were filled with malevolence and contempt for the fools who dared oppose it.
Kyuubi no Kitsune, the nine-tailed demon fox and strongest of the great tailed beasts, attacked without rhyme or reason, seemingly crushing anything and everything around it. Leaf ninja were trying their best to fight the monster that had fallen on them like a storm and yet they seemed unable to do more than annoy the angry demon.
Cheers rose up in the seemingly defeated lines as the Yondaime appeared on the battlefield riding atop Gamabunta with the baby Naruto in his arms, who, despite the noise, continued to sleep quietly. The massive toad-boss summon took a puff from his pipe before charging.
Kyuubi roared, releasing a stream of blood red fire at the toad, her tails batting away the few ninja who had gotten dared go near with the arrival of the Fourth. Arashi remained calm from Gamabunta's head, adjusting his hold on Naruto. He then began making a long string of hand seals, chakra blazing around him and awakening the slumbering child.
The once violent and loud night suddenly stilled and fell into complete silence. A spiral shaped seal slowly formed on the infant's stomach who began to cry loudly as if in pain. Kyuubi snarled in unholy rage as this pathetic human dared to think his silly tricks could challenge her grand power.
The sky dimmed and the world seemed to blur around the nine-tailed fox leaving only the blonde human and the child clear to her eyes. The Hokage showed no emotion as from behind him arose a tall dark figure. Fear and panic filled the kitsune as she recognized the being immediately.
'Shinigami!'
Attempting to stop the mortal who had called upon the death-god, she found herself held fast to the ground. Looking down she discovered ice covering each of her four paws and slowly traveling up her legs. Roaring in outrage she fought against the ice, her eyes meeting the blue orbs of the screaming baby. The color seemed so similar to water and ice to her but that line of thought died as Arashi finished the last hand seal.
"Shiki Fuujin!" The gray clawed hand of the Shinigami shot from the seal on the infant's belly and surged towards the demon fox when he spoke those words. The hand latched onto Kyuubi's head making her tense. Pain lanced through her very soul after that and she could feel her essence being ripped away from her body,
Kyuubi's world was filled with those innocent blue eyes before everything went dark.
Sarutobi watched as the battle ended and allowed a few tears to slip from his eyes. He moved to the scene and found Arashi in the final stage of his deal with the Shinigami. Picking up the child he noticed the three whisker-like marks that now dotted each of the baby's cheeks.
"I will do my best to see that your son is treated just as you and Kanna-chan hoped. Goodbye Arashi-kun," the Third spoke before whispering a prayer for the blonde's soul.
Four year's later
Uzumaki Naruto sat on the shore of a lake within a secluded clearing in one of Konoha's many forested areas. Between his small hands floated a ball of water constantly changing shape and moving, bringing a smile to his young face. He never knew why the water would play with him, making shapes and dancing around him or turning into ice, which sometimes took the form of people he'd seen in the village or imaginary friends he made up. The water and ice never glared at him or yelled and insulted him, like everyone in the village did and it definitely did not try to hurt him.
Spying the sun setting, he slowly moved his hands over the lakes surface and let the water fall back into it. Standing up he started to make his way back to the village. He could hide from everyone in town during the day but if he wasn't back at the orphanage by nightfall, the beating he received from the staff were always worse. Life at the orphanage wasn't very good for him and the people there seemed to hate him as much as the rest of the village. He was always placed at the end of the line for food and was given the scrapings that were left or the unfinished portions no one else wanted. When he was picked on by the other children for his whisker marks, the adults did nothing to help him. Sometimes, they even cheered them on but if he tried to fight back against them, he was punished, which usually meant being beaten until he couldn't feel the blows anymore. So now he didn't fight back at all, just accepting the inevitable fate.
He was dressed in the only outfit they would give him, an orange pair of pants and jacket with a white shirt underneath it and a pair of blue sandals. He hated orange not because it was a bad color but because it was forced on him.
The only places he seemed to be welcome at were the library and the Hokage's office. Often, the elderly Hokage would visit Naruto and see how he was fairing, which, of course, he lied about to ensure the staff of the orphanage wasn't chewed out because if they were, he was just hurt much more. As for the library, it seemed the aging ninja who oversaw it actually liked Naruto. He had helped the young boy learn to read and since that day, if he was not hiding by the lake's edge, he was hidden behind several books just trying to forget his own life.
No one truly cared for him, that he was sure of and so, he had to look out for himself. Somewhere inside of him, he felt there was strength and power, trying to get out, calling to him just like the water called to him. Unlike the water that was peaceful, this was angry but not at him. Instead, it seemed to be angry at those around him, angry at the people who had broken his spirit and taken his innocence so long ago.
Village
Naruto winced as another rock struck him in the side. He'd never know who among the few people out this night threw the stone or the multitude of others that had been hitting him since he started down the streets towards the orphanage. The pain wasn't new to him and so he just kept trudging forward in hopes of maybe a warm meal and some sleep.
'Maybe if I'm lucky, there will be some bread leftover,' he thought, looking for a bright side to his life. Thoughts of tasty bread though were ripped away when something suddenly tightened around his neck.
Tiny hands clawed at his neck, feeling a thin and almost invisible piece of wire wrapped around his throat and slowly choked him. Slowly, the wire was pulled, drawing a line of blood from his neck and he was pulled into an alleyway. Naruto looked up in fear, meeting the dark eyes of a woman wearing the forehead protector of the leaf loosely around her neck. The wire tightened even more and he could feel his body getting tired and weak from the lack of air.
"You stupid little demon! I'm going to finally destroy you for your crimes against this village," the woman whispered harshly to him.
"Please… st-stop I'm sor-sorry for wha-whatever I did t-to make you ha-hate m-me." He was just barely able to croak out, his voice pleading with the woman.
"You're sorry! Is that all you have to say demon? Did you spare my boyfriend when he begged you stop before you killed him? Did you stop before you took some of our best shinobi? Did you feel a need to stop when the Fourth gave his life to stop you!" the kunoichi raged but loosened the wire enough for him to suck in a breath of air, her eyes seemingly blazing with insanity.
"You'll not die yet, demon. Oh no, I'll make you suffer far more and beg me for death before giving you that sweet release from pain." The words came and then a blow dropped Naruto into unconsciousness.
She picked him up with ease and placed him over her shoulder. The ANBU that were ordered to guard the child were taking one of their many breaks and so she need not fear being spotted as she walked away. The Hokage would never know who took the filthy brat and thus, never be able to save him from the justice she would administer.
"My genin should get some practical skills out of this anyway," she joked, walking of into the night.
Slowly, in a place that had remained dark for four years, a pair of crimson eyes slid open and viewed the mind of its prison.
Kyuubi had awakened within her container but for now, chose to do nothing but observe all that had passed and would pass.
Morning
Yuuhi Kurenai waited after genin training ended that day for Ashara-sensei's orders while her teammates were allowed to go home. The young ninja wondered what her jounin instructor could want with her. Sure, she wasn't the strongest genin and she didn't use many ninjutsu or taijutsu but she has her genjutsu specialty, made for any failings she had in other areas.
"Kurenai-chan, I thank you for staying behind, especially since we had no missions today and you could be home or out enjoying yourself," Ashara said happily as her dark eyes watched her student.
"Did I do something wrong, Ashara-sensei?" she asked.
"No, quite the opposite in fact. Kurenai-chan, I'm very proud of you. Practically no one can raise genjutsu to the art form I've seen you attempt. Sadly though, you lack experience in casting and maintaining your techniques on live targets," she praised the young genin and watched her blush because of it.
"Thank you, Ashara-sensei, but you were the one who taught me beyond the things I learned at the Academy."
"I talked to the Hokage and explained our problem to him. He has given us the perfect way to help train your genjutsu skills in the form of an S-class criminal to practice on," Ashara lied knowing the Hokage knew nothing of the subject Kurenai would train on.
"Wow, really that's great, Ashara-sensei! But do you think I'm ready for this?" the young kunoichi asked in excitement.
"Of course! Now, come along so we can begin."
The pair walked deep into the woods yet remained within the village until they came upon a long abandoned cabin. Opening the door, the pair found a small form huddled in the corner, his wrists and ankles wrapped in manacles that were fastened by iron chains to the wall. Blonde hair was limp and lying against his head, blue eyes staring at them in fear. Kurenai could swear she'd seen him somewhere before.
"Ashara-sensei, are you sure about this? He is just a kid, there's no way he could be an S-class criminal," Kurenai stated, looking at the child.
"Appearances can be deceiving, Kurenai-chan. There are people in this world younger than you but stronger than me. Now, let's start easy, ok? But make sure everything you sue is meant to scare or hurt him. Since he's chained it's the only useful skill to try."
"Hai, sensei," she responded and began forming seals.
"Magen: Narakumi No Jutsu!" (Demonic Illusion: Vision of Hell Technique) she called. The genjutsu made a swirl of leaves in front of his eyes, lulling him into the illusions trance. Tears streamed down his eyes as he was subjected to the most traumatic images his mind could conjure, viewing them over and over again. He jerked at the chains and screamed in both terror and pain as it continued.
Ashara hid a smile as she watched her student torment the little demon, inwardly cheering her on as he started screaming. She could teach Kurenai so much before the boy finally lost his sanity and needed to be killed and thus she was killing two birds with one stone.
Kurenai finally had to release the jutsu when she felt her chakra dwindling and turned her eyes away from the crying boy. A ninja would've known how to counter that illusion technique. There was no way he was any kind of criminal but still, she had to obey her sensei.
"Good, very good, Kurenai-chan. Now, I'm going to teach you a few new genjutsu to use on our volunteer."
"Hai, sensei," she mumbled.
One Month Later
"Ataeru Kanjoo No Jutsu!" (Inflict Emotion Technique) Kurenai called and watched the child suddenly begin to feel terror unlike any he had ever felt before. After a month of training she was able to do many more genjutsu than before, but now, guilt was getting to her. Two weeks into the training and the blonde had stopped responding or showing emotion unless they were forced on him, her sensei just told her he was catatonic.
The Hokage was also in a bad mood. It seemed a child had been kidnapped from the orphanage and he wanted the boy found. Kurenai was sure that the missing kid and her volunteer were one in the same, which made her extremely guilty. She'd made the decision to finally speak to the Sandaime when Ashara let her go from training.
"That's enough, Kurenai-chan, run along." Nodding, the red eyed girl took her leave with as much speed as she could.
Naruto had truly become catatonic. He didn't respond to anything anymore unless it was forced by Kurenai or you knew the right buttons to push like Ashara did. She smiled as she knew every night when her student left, the demon would be crying or screaming within an hour of being in her skillful hands.
"Now it's just the two of us, Kyuubi-kun," she whispered having taken to calling him by the name she thought was really his.
"Please… please I want to die," the blonde whispered, keeping his eyes pointed at the floor.
"Now, Kyuubi-kun, you'll die, don't worry. But I think tonight will be special. I think I'll take away the last of your innocence," she responded, walking forward and kneeling before him.
"N-no, please," he begged, tears beginning to fall.
"No one is going to come for you. After all, who could love a little demon child like you? No parents or anyone in the whole world cares for you but you already know that, don't you? You'll never get away from me and you won't be allowed to die until I decide to kill you," she whispered in his ear before cutting a gash along his cheek.
After a month of pure torture and hell, he finally thought the words he hadn't thought since he was two.
'Someone please… Anyone please help me…'
Suddenly, Naruto found himself not in his chains or in the cabin. Instead, he was standing in a long dark hallway, the floor and walls made out of stone with pipes leading further in. Walking slowly, he noticed the air was colder and water seemed to rest in puddles randomly around the floor. The same calming waters he loved to play with and while Konoha was a warm area, he seemed to feel better with the cold. He came to a halt in front of a pair of huge steel doors. Placing his hand on the cool metal, he watched as they clicked and swung open.
Inside looked like a sewer, those huge leaking pipes running all around the room. Water seemed to be up to his ankles and seemed uncharacteristically dark yet not polluted. The dominating feature of the room though had to be the massive iron cage with bars that seemed to link into the very ceiling. The main door of the cage was covered with a simple slip of paper with the kanji for 'seal' upon it.
A pair of crimson slit eyes opened within the cage and Naruto felt fear well up inside of him. The interior of the cage seemed to lighten, revealing that the eyes belonged to a fox far larger the anything he could imagine with nine tails swishing behind it.
"Am I dead? Is this the afterlife or is this just another illusion meant to torment me?" Naruto asked softly staring at the giant fox.
"You are not dead, child, and I plan for you to remain alive for a very long time and I am most certainly not an illusion," came the dark rumbling voice of the fox that seemed female to Naruto.
"Who are you and where are we?" he asked, though if he was curious, it was lost in his sad voice. He seemed to have wished he was dead.
"I am the Great Nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi no Kitsune and we are within your mind. You have felt my call before while I slumbered and now you finally came to me. It is about time, your weakness has been irritating me since I awoke."
The name sparked a memory in Naruto of the first book the librarian had taught him to read. It was a simple children's book with pictures and words describing the defeat of the Kyuubi by the hands of the Yondaime. He remembered it because he found the man to be like a hero to him. He'd even made one or two ice statues of him in the past.
"The Kyuubi was defeated by the Fourth Hokage four years ago. You're lying, so this must be another illusion," the child challenged in a soft voice. He was shocked when the fox let out a deafening roar, frightening him further before she leveled her eyes on him.
"I am no illusion! The Fourth Hokage as you call him may have defeated me with one of your human tricks but I cannot be destroyed by some foolish man."
Naruto stood in thought for a moment, his young mind was by no means stupid. In fact, because of his time reading and being forced to mature quickly to survive, he could be considered a genius. So the pieces assembled themselves quite quickly, revealing the answer to him. Glancing at his stomach the final riddle finally came undone.
"So then, I am nothing more then a demon or the jailer of one at least," he surmised and lowered his eyes.
Kyuubi was about to snort when Naruto raised his head and glared at the fox with an intensity even she found unsettling.
"It's because of you that I'm suffering and have suffered. Your existence makes them hate me!" he snarled, only to hear a low growl from Kyuubi that sounded like a chuckle.
"DON'T YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME!" he screamed, the air around him instantly chilling and the water around him freezing into solid ice yet none of it dared touch his body. Even the pipes showed slight amounts of ice upon them.
"They yell and insult me because of you. They hurl rocks and attack me until I can't even feel their blows because of you. They clothe me like an idiot so others can gawk at me and rob me of innocence because of you. All this time all of that pain and anguish was done to me because of you. This living hell from which there is no escape is because of you. I don't even have a mommy and daddy because of you!" He vented it all out, falling to his knees by the end and allowing the tears to fall from his eyes.
Kyuubi watched the child cry with as much remorse as she most likely would ever be able to feel. She had used the last month since her awakening to review the memories of her container's life and truly, if she could escape, she'd finish what she started four years ago. This time, the village would deserve her wrath. Naruto held great potential in her eyes, perhaps even enough for her to recognize him. Demon very rarely claimed humans as their own and often if that was done, the human was stronger than most demons within the realm. Kyuubi made a decision, her mental wheels already turning with possibilities. The boy, with her help, would master the power of his bloodline and her own power and then if he so desired, could claim his vengeance. Maternal instinct kicked in as she heard Naruto sob and slowly, she slid one of her tails through the bars and wrapped in around him comfortingly.
"Then I shall be your mother, kit, and you, my child. I shall protect you and teach you to use my power and your own," she spoke once he had calmed and looked at her questioningly.
Naruto stared into the fox's eyes, trying to detect the lie in them. In the past, many people had been kind to Naruto only to use it in order to hurt him. To date, only the old man Hokage, the librarian and the Ichiraku's ramen stand owner had not done so. These betrayals though made it very hard to fool Naruto.
"I want you to rip half of the seal paper off. This will let me give you more of my power and chakra. It will also let me protect you in battles too much for you to handle and allow me to speak with you whenever I wish." This was the ultimate vengeance for being defeated by that human. She suspected by the boy's looks that he was the child's father. She would raise his son like her own and train him, making him stronger than any could dream. She would be given credit for his greatness instead of his father.
She had her reasons for attacking Konoha, she really held them no ill will but how they treated the kit was wrong and so she would both get her revenge for the defeat and atone for the mistake her rage and malevolent nature caused four years ago.
Standing, he let the tail remain around him even as the ice suddenly thawed with loss of his emotional outburst. Reaching for the paper, only two outcomes were present in his mind. One was the fox had spoken the truth and he would get what was promised, two this would kill him and he would finally be free. Either option seemed better than what he was being put through by the village and the ninja who'd kidnapped him. Ripping the bottom half of the seal paper off, he stood back letting it fall into the water at his feet.
Red chakra poured from the fox and then began to flow like a cyclone around Naruto before entering his body directly. He seemed to the eye to be engulfed in crimson fire. Suddenly, ice blue chakra emerged from his body mixing and flowing with Kyuubi's demonic chakra. The water suddenly rose, dancing and freezing in an intense display around the dark and dank room only to melt into water and become steam as it was touched by the flame-like energy.
"My kit, you truly are a wonder with my power over fire and with my other abilities along with your own bloodline of water and ice, you shall be magnificent. We have company, Kit, time to go back," she spoke though the last came with her sensing human chakra.
Naruto's eyes snapped back into focus just as several puffs of smoke occurred and the room was now occupied by the Sandaime Hokage and five of his elite jounin. Ashara let out a scream and quickly drew a kunai and tried to slam it into his heart. Closing his eyes tightly in fear he felt the room suddenly chill. Water that was gathered on the floor of the cabin and in the small tin cup that he drank from rose around her and then froze into spikes ripping into her body with deadly ferocity.
Sarutobi quickly released the child who burst into tears and clung to the old man while the jounin quickly disposed of the body. The door was shoved open as they finished and an out-of-breath Kurenai stumbled inside, having run from the Hokages office to here after he'd vanished. She'd gone to the Hokage and explained everything, including what she herself had done unwittingly.
Those bright blue eyes were filled with terror when they spotted her before he buried his head into the Hokage's robes, quivering in fear. Kurenai looked down in both guilt and shame. She deserved worse than any punishment she might've received but the Hokage had told her as he gathered the jounin that she was used and lied to that she had no fault in this. Kurenai knew better. She might not be formally punished but the look in those eyes would never leave her.
Hokage's Office
Sarutobi sighed as he watched Naruto sip a cup of hot chocolate. The boy had been through a hell he couldn't imagine and one of his own ninja had been used to cause it. He truly hoped Ashara rotted in the pits of hell for tricking one of her own genin into constantly subjecting Naruto to that and for what she, herself had done to the boy.
"Ojiisan," Naruto spoke, his voice remaining soft.
"Yes, Naruto-kun?"
"Who are my parents?" he asked, not looking up.
The Sandaime Hokage sat back in his chair and smoked from his pipe in thought. Naruto did have a right to know but still, it was risky, considering whom his father was but could he really deny the child, after all he'd been through. His thoughts were interrupted as Naruto spoke again.
"I know that the Yondaime sealed the Nine-tails inside of me. When they hurt me tonight, I found myself in front of the cage. Do my parents hate me too, Ojiisan? Is that why I'm alone?"
"No, Naruto-kun, I can assure you, your parents loved you with all their hearts. In fact, you have your mother's special gift," he replied, deciding Naruto had suffered enough.
"Gift?"
"Yes. Kanna-chan, your mother was born in the Water Country to a clan who had the ability to control ice and water. She fled here when the Mizukage ordered her clan and many other clans with bloodline abilities destroyed because he feared their power."
"Will you please tell me about her and my father?" he asked, hope in his eyes as he looked up, though mentally, he was also listening to Kyuubi.
"All right, Naruto-kun, but you have to promise never to talk about it. Your father had a lot of enemies that might try to hurt you." He received a small nod from the boy and smiled.
"Well, to start, your father was the Yondaime Hokage, Kazama Arashi. Kanna-chan was one of the few women I've known that had been able to keep up with his energy. She was a vision of loveliness, with midnight black hair and eyes the same bright blue as yours but she was also a deadly ninja who gave her all for this village and the friends she had made. Arashi-kun was so in love with her but at first, she didn't pay any mind to his rather loud pronouncements of love. It was entertaining to watch her try to ignore him when both were in the same room. Eventually, he won her over though I don't even know how but where once she got red with anger when he said things, she then blushed. Naruto-kun, if there were anyway I could've saved them that night, I would have done it. No child should live through the burden you have without the knowledge of or love a parent."
"I want to get stronger, Ojiisan," Naruto suddenly interrupted again.
"What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"
"I don't want to be weak anymore. My parents sound so strong yet I'm so weak. I want to become strong like them so no one can ever hurt me again. Do you know anyone who can teach me?" he pleaded.
"I might know a few people who would be willing to help you but it's entirely up to them, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi responded after thinking for a moment.
"I need to get away from the orphanage too. I know you don't want anyone to know about my parents but can I at least live in their house. I already know how to take care of myself and you can come check on me everyday, Ojiisan."
"I will make you a deal, Naruto-kun. If you can get the three people I have in mind to train you and show me you can become strong, then I will return your family name to you officially. For now though, I think it should be safe for you to live in your clan's home and I can arrange an allowance for you until the matters of your inheritance can be handled. Is that alright with you, Naruto-kun?"
"Yes, Ojiisan."
"Good. Now then, let me tell you a story about the first time your father met your mother…"
Next day
'This is the last time I wear this outfit,' Naruto swore in his mind as he slowly crawled out of bed and donned his orange clothing.
Naruto had maybe expected a nice house or apartment to be his family's home but what he had found was a shocker. The Kazama clan had, at one time, been large enough to rival the Hyuuga and Uchiha and thus had a compound reflecting that size.
The main house held rooms for over 50 people along with a huge dining room, library, kitchen, and training dojo. Each room was beautiful in his opinion, painted in soft yellows or blues representing the clan's colors. The branch family house was just as big and between the two were beautiful gardens that seemed to have maintained themselves even without the loving touch of his family. Training fields with floors of soft sand were surrounded by the beauty of nature, seemingly trying to induce peace while in the throws of battle. A large surprise came to him though when he discovered a large pond or lake placed near the main house. The water was cold and clean, seemingly cleaner then the family bathes he'd found. He figured this had been added for his birth mother. He doubted even the Hyuuga compound could equal his clan's.
"So then, today you get everything you need from human essentials to teachers. This is the first step to controlling your power and forging your own path. Let's not dawdle, each moment not used wisely is a setback and right now you cannot afford setbac,." Kyuubi encouraged in his mind, intrigued slightly with the things she did not know about humans and their ninja culture. After all, if one of them could find a way to defeat her, there must be something to it she could observe within her kit.
'Yes, Mother.' It should've felt odd to Naruto to call the fox his mother but for some reason it was rather simple.
Grabbing his wallet laden with new allowance, he was out the side doors of the main house and past the gates in seconds.
Konoha
Naruto sighed in defeat as yet another store ordered him to leave when he tried to buy clothes. He ignored the glares of random villagers as he continued down the streets in search of another shop. Entering the next store that was about a block away from the last, he spotted racks of ninja gear and clothing filling the entire place. Behind the counter stood an old man with graying hair and wearing the attire of a retired ninja. Taking a deep breath, he hoped for the best.
"Hello there, young man, and welcome to my store. Do you need some help?" the man asked nicely when he spotted the boy.
Naruto blinked at this. The man had neither thrown curses at him nor demanded he leave and from the lead forehead protector framed on the wall, he had to have been a ninja at some point.
"Well, I'm starting ninja training today and I need a new wardrobe and tools but none of the other shops would let me buy anything," he spoke, using the saddest voice he could muster.
"Well, we can't have that, can we? Hmm…I know! Let's get you suited up and I'll only charge you half price for everything to make up for your bad day," the man said with a smile, taking the child's hand once he gotten around the counter and moving to the equipment.
In the end, Naruto walked out with everything he would need and more. He had decided to wear loose clothes so he was comfortable during training yet durable enough to protect him. So now, he was dressed in dark blue ninja sandals, black pants with a design of ice climbing up the legs, and a black oriental style shirt with a crimson flame design running up from the cuffs to the top of the sleeves. Finally, a black vest completed the outfit with a yellow and blue spiral on the back. He wore shuriken and kunai holsters on his right hip and the pockets of the vest were filled with ninja gear and senbon needles.
'I feel free.'
"Good. Now, find your first sensei.'
'Yes, Mother.'
Taking out the list the Hokage had given him, he first decided to find his taijutsu instructor. He was on a mission to find. .. Alex Louis Armstrong A.K.A The Strong Arm Ninja.
Training Field 15
It took Naruto about half an hour to find someone willing to tell him where his target was and another 20 minutes to get there. Watching from behind a tree, he observed a man possibly in his early thirties or late forties with a blonde mustache and single swirl of blonde hair at the front of his bald head. He wore a pair of spiked knuckle dusters, black boots, and blue pants. From the waist up he wore nothing, showing off more muscles than Naruto thought were humanly possible. He watched the man punch a tree and instead of it making, a dent the entire tree was ripped in half, the top separating from the lower half and falling onto the ground, shaking the entire area.
'Whoa… this guy is either strong... or that was a really weak tree.'
"Not bad for a human. He will do fine, kit, now stop hiding and introduce yourself."
'Yes, Mother.' The more he called the fox that, the more to him it became true and easier to do so to him.
Taking a deep breath and straightening his clothes, he walked from behind the tree and slowly approached his hopefully new sensei.
"Um…excuse me, Armstrong-san," Naurto called out, a bit hesitant and waited for the man to acknowledge his presence.
He was not disappointed…
"Oh, it fills me with such joy to see the passionate youth of today seeking out my aide!" the man practically yelled, turning around his muscles, flexing as he made poses.
Naruto could do nothing more than blink.
"Uh…yeah, well you see, my name is Uzumaki Naruto and—" He didn't get to finish his sentence.
"And you are my new student! Oh, the feelings that filled me when the Hokage asked me to help you reach your true potential! For I, Alex Louis Armstrong, heir of Armstrong fighting style, shall help you, Naruto Uzumaki, stoke the flames of your passionate youth and achieve your goals!" At the end of his glorious speech filled with posing and flexing, Naruto could swear he saw sparkles around his eyes. The man struck one last pose that would one day be known as the "Nice Guy Pose".
Naruto could do nothing but nod.
"Excellent! Then let us begin on our journey to masculinity with 600 laps around Konoha and then we can get to the real training. Oh, even my muscles quiver in anticipation for our future together!" Making a set of hand seals, he placed a weight jutsu and a gravity jutsu on Naruto's clothes, making the approximate weight pressing down on him 100 pounds. This caused the 4-year old to fall face-first into the ground.
"Yes, I know it is disappointing to wear such little weight but we must start small. Soon, you will wear a real amount of weight. Now let us begin. Our path to muscular perfection has begun!"
Forcing himself up, Naruto began slowly taking steps, forcing his body to move. He was unwilling to give up, come hell or high water, he would die before failing his new teacher.
'Even if he's a psycho…'
Hokage's Office
Sandaime laughed as he replaced the cloth over his crystal ball. He knew talking to Naruto's new sensei's before he went seeking them would be a good idea. Each one was an expert in their field and if he survived he would certainly become a strong and well-rounded ninja.
Going back into his office, he sat down and only had to wait a few minutes for his next appointment to arrive. The dark hair and white eyes were a dead give away that this person was of the Hyuuga clan. In truth this was Hyuuga Hiashi, member of the main family and current leader of the clan.
They had much to discuss.
Afternoon, Training Field 22
Naruto was sore.
No, change that. Naruto felt like one giant bruise.
After their laps around Konoha, his Taijutsu lessons began which for today revolved around punching and kicking a log 1000 times each, followed by 500 push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups and if he faltered even once, he had to do them all again plus another 100 shots at the log. He lost count how many times he had to restart. Armstrong-Sensei explained that he would meet him every other morning and that he was to do his exercises every morning. He explained that the style he wished Naruto to learn was based on speed and agility yet strength for when he struck. He had called it, 'The Destructive Storm' style.
Luckily, Armstrong-Sensei had known where his next teacher would be so he was able to hurry and hopefully catch the man. Looking down at the paper, he committed the name to memory.
Roy Mustang
He was quite surprised to find Training Field 22 filled with craters and scorch marks. The entire area looked like it had been engulfed in flames at some point. Standing in the middle of the field was a man with dark hair and eyes dressed in a dark blue version of the Jounin uniform, his forehead protector worn like a medal attached to his vest.
"Mustang-san?" he called out, not having the same nervousness as he did with Armstrong-sensei.
"Kit, left now!" Kyuubi suddenly ordered.
Obeying his mothers orders, Naruto dropped to the ground and rolled to the left just as a set of seven fireballs blazed through the space where his body was a second ago. He looked to the only culprit to see a cocky smirk on Mustang's face.
"If a person takes time to speak on a battlefield, they can easily be killed," was his only response.
"You could have just thrown a rock at me or something, you stupid bastard!" Naruto yelled back.
"So you're my new student?"
'Did the Hokage already speak to everybody?'
"Yes, Mustang-san. My name is Uzumaki Naruto."
"My name is Roy Mustang, the Flame Ninja. You can call me sensei or sir. If you're worth my time, you might learn something. If you're not, then you'll probably die," Mustang spoke with a sinister gleam in his eye.
Naruto gulped but nodded that he understood.
"Good, then let's get started since you're so young, I guess you don't know how to use your chakra. So we will work on that and your control. When you have it mastered, I will start teaching you jutsu but in order for me to train you, every year you have to show me one original jutsu, got it? Excellent, now onto business," the man spoke and continued when the blonde nodded, going into a long lecture and set of exercises for Naruto to perform even when on his own.
By the time evening had set in, Naruto was more than a little sure that the Hokage was a sadist for these two instructors. Looking at the list he checked the last name and headed for Training Field 5, looking for his last sensei.
Riza Hawkeye
Evening, Training Field 5
Compared to the other two, Hawkeye-sensei seemed tame. She was younger than both of his male sensei with her blond hair pulled up at the back of her head and wearing the uniform as Mustang-sensei.
"Hawkeye-san?" he asked and ducked as a kunai flew over his head, pulling a few blonde hairs from his head before it slammed into the tree behind him.
'Mother, I think Ojiisan is trying to kill me.'
"Or drive you insane."
"Stand up," she ordered and he gulped, getting to his feet.
"State your name."
"Uzumaki Naruto," he replied softly.
"Good, now my name is Riza Hawkeye you will address me as Hawkeye-sensei and nothing else. I've already spoken to Hokage-sama and your other sensei and until you gain some control of your chakra I'll be teaching you to use your weapons. I am a genjutsu specialist so you will often face illusions around me. If that scares you, don't bother coming back," she explained, watching him simply seem to close off from emotion when she mentioned illusions.
"I won't run away," he replied coldly.
"Good, let's begin."
Hokage's Office
"So then, it has gotten that bad between the Branch and Main house?" Sandaime asked.
"Yes, sadly, the rift that divides us has grown to the point that we might as well be separate families," Hiashi replied.
"This is very bad indeed. I remember how close you and Hizashi were as boys."
"Do you believe this option will work though?"
"I believe it's the only option that will keep the village from erupting into civil war. If there were another way, I would take it to spare Naruto anymore trouble. I have no doubt he will be very cross with me over this but with his name, he is the only choice. Arashi-kun must be quite angry with me wherever he is now."
"Kanna-chan would be the one to worry about if she knew what we had planned for her son. My old teammate wanted nothing more for her child than a happy life. It seems we will condemn two children to save the rest of us, but perhaps they will find love in one another."
"Then we're agreed?"
"Yes, we have a contract for their betrothal if he meets the conditions set forth within eight years time."
Kazama Residence
Naruto crawled into bed slowly after a light dinner of ramen. He honestly couldn't get enough of that stuff no matter if it was from the old man at the ramen stand or from a simple cup, it was just heaven to his senses. He noticed even with his clothes off, the weight pressing down on him never changed.
The schedule set up for him was brutal but necessary. Four days a week from sunrise till sunset, he trained with his three sensei. The other three days he did his exercises and would train alone with his bloodline and Kyuubi's power. Lastly, every night, his mother would be teaching him non-ninja subjects that he had no idea how she learned.
He found himself back in his mind but unlike before, the space had changed. Gone were the leaky pipes and dirty water. Instead, he was sitting on a desk made of ice in what he guessed was a typical classroom. The chalkboard looked transparent and was floating next to a podium.
Behind the podium stood a woman with long red orange hair with twin fox ears at the top of her head. Her eyes were red and she had elongated canines. She wore a yellow skirt with a blood red sleeveless top and behind her were nine swaying tails.
In her hand, she held a pointer and he swore she had an evil smile on her face. Naruto would know his mother anywhere but still, he felt compelled to make sure.
She just smiled wider and tapped the podium surface.
Naruto's head hit the desk when a flower pot fell from the ceiling and made contact with his skull
"No talking while class is in session unless you're asking a question or I call on you for an answer," she spoke then wrote on the board before turning back to look at him.
"Welcome to my class. My name is Professor Kyuubi or Kyuubi-sensei or if I am in a good mood, little Kyuubi."
Naruto knew two things right from the start.
1 Mother had a sense of humor.
2 She was a little insane.
3 You can feel pain even asleep.
4 She had plenty of flower pots.
5 This would not end well.
The last three he learned by the time the sun rose.
Morning
Naruto awoke with a splitting headache as the last of his bumps healed. Getting a shower and then, dressing, he ate a piece of fruit for breakfast and headed to one of the family training fields.
He would spend the entire day working on his bloodline and then trying to use the demonic chakra and powers of his mother. When he had finished and run through his exercises, he went into the library to read as much as he could.
'This is my life now.'
Unknown Place
Two people sat before a chess board as another piece was added in the space for the white king. The statue was of a fearsome nine-tailed fox with a child carved into it's chest. Next to the piece in the queen's spot was a statue of an elegant bird with eight tails flowing behind it, a short-haired girl carved into its chest.
"So the game finally begins."
Preview: Strength, it is something to be earned and a child will push himself to the edge of life to gain it. A pair of white eyes that watch him in admiration and a village that watches him with disdain. The academy is a place to learn what he already knows and thus, what will he end up learning in the end? The game that is his life has begun yet is he the one in control or is he merely being controlled. Three friends forged in sorrow. Nine shinobi who will set the world ablaze with talent. The jounin with red eyes that fills him with fear. It's for you to rise, young shinobi and begin your futures. It's the next episode of "A Fox of Fire and Ice."
"Rise of A Shinobi."
Don't blink or you just might miss it.
Please read and review.
Authors note 1: I am sorry guys but I read everything I had and decided I wanted to give my fans more so I am doing a complete rewrite with more details so please check it out.
Till next time.